NIT and Getting Settled In

Well, It looks like I've found a place. It is a small town called Beacon that has a nice charm as well as upscale offerings (such as wine shop and organic store) thanks to the hippy-ish crowd drawn in by the modern art museum here.

Meanwhile, I've been going through NIT (New Instructor Training - the army is infatuated with acronyms. ) The picture to the left was taken at the Antietam battlefield up in the tower at the end of the Sunken Road. (The man who took the picture of us turned out to be a German from what was far Eastern Prussia, who had been a member of the Hitler youth, eventually immigrated to America, where he later joined the US Army and sent back to Germany as part of the occupation force.) My fellow NITtens (as I like to call us) have been watching example lessons and giving practice lessons. I think the most difficult thing to do is to give a fake lesson to people who probably know more about the subject than you do. This Friday we took a historical tour of the West Point area looking at the Revolutionary War fortifications. That is because the NITtens are given the task of leading tours the following Monday for all interested West Point personnel.

I'm still jumping through a lot of hoops to get all registered, but I made the pleasant discovery that I have the right to shop in the PX (Post Exchange - aka Military WalMart) Good bye Sales Tax!!! Unfortunately, I can't shop in the Commissary for food. However, I can get all the tax-free booze and Haribo candy I want. Yeah!